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March 19, 2013

The HSUS Applauds FTC’s Action against Neiman Marcus and Other Retailers in Response to 2011 Fur False Advertising Petition

The Humane Society of the United States applauds the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to take action on The HSUS’s 2011 fur false advertising and labeling petition against three retailers – Neiman Marcus, Dr. Jays and Revolve Clothing. The FTC announced the issuance of consent orders obligating these retailers to abide by the advertising and labeling restrictions of the federal Fur Products Labeling Act.

“There is an epidemic of false advertising in the fur industry,” said Ralph Henry, deputy director of Animal Protection Litigation for The HSUS. “We applaud the FTC for taking action to protect consumers from animal fur misrepresented as ‘faux’ fur. The Humane Society of the United States encourages the FTC to continue to diligently prosecute any violations of these consent orders, and violations of fur advertising and labeling laws by other companies, until compassionate consumers are no longer duped into buying animal fur.”

The HSUS’ 2011 petition to the FTC named 11 nationally and internationally known retailers, including the retailers named in today’s FTC enforcement action. Each retailer named in The HSUS’s petition falsely advertised jackets, cardigans, shoes or other products as containing “faux” fur even though independent laboratory testing confirmed that the products contained real animal fur. The petition alleged that the practices of these retailers mislead consumers and violate the federal Fur Products Labeling Act.

The HSUS encourages retailers and designers to drop animal fur altogether to stop the animal suffering rife throughout the industry, and to protect consumers from this misrepresentation. Several retailers and designers have heeded this call and decided to go fur-free, including Sears, Tommy Hilfiger, True Religion Brand Jeans, Yoox.com and Rocawear. Others have decided to stop selling fur from raccoon dogs – a species in the Canidae family documented to be skinned alive for their fur – including Dillard’s, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, Bluefly.com, Michael Kors, Andrew Marc and St. John Knits.

Timeline

March 2007 – The HSUS filed a FTC petition after an investigation determined many retailers and designers were selling falsely labeled or falsely advertised jackets containing raccoon dog, domestic dog or wolf fur.